Publications

August 2008
Background Note

Divisive Reorganizations

By: Henry B. Reiling and Kevin Wall

The note (1) describes "spin-offs" and "split-offs," (2) summarizes the requirements to qualify for tax postponement, and (3) identifies the public policy considerations justifying this favorable treatment. View Details

Keywords: Business Units; Restructuring; Policy; Taxation

July 2001
Case

Paula Evans and the Redesign of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (B)

By: Linda A. Hill, Kristin Doughty and Ellen Pruyne

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Problems and Challenges; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Strategy; Secondary Education; Restructuring; Leadership; Education Industry; Cambridge

March 2015
Case

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp: Redefining Success in the U.S. (A)

By: Gautam Mukunda, Thomas DeLong and Aldo Sesia

Over the course of a tumultuous weekend in April 2010, André Wyss was put in charge of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC), the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Novartis Pharma AG. He was brought in at a critical point in the organization's evolution with... View Details

Keywords: LEAD; Talent Management; Leadership And Change Management; Change Management; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Restructuring; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

February 2005 (Revised June 2006)
Case

UAL, 2004: Pulling Out of Bankruptcy

By: Daniel Baird Bergstresser, Kenneth A. Froot and Darren Robert Smart

UAL is a large air transportation company with roots that go back to the 1920s. As a legacy carrier, going back to before the 1978 deregulation of air transportation markets, United Airlines is burdened with cost structures that make it difficult to compete with newer... View Details

Keywords: Bankruptcy; Compensation; Costs; Loans; Reorganization; Cost; Restructuring; Financing and Loans; Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Compensation and Benefits; Air Transportation Industry; United States

September 1999
Background Note

Revolution in the Communications Switching Industry

By: Jay O. Light, Lynda M. Applegate and Daniel J. Green

As data packet switches threatened the voice circuit switch industry in 1999, major switch and router vendors began paying high premiums to acquire venture-backed switch companies. This note explains what a switch is and suggests why large vendors might be so anxious... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Restructuring; Capital; Information Technology; Technology Adoption; Communications Industry; Electronics Industry

June 2013
Supplement

Hexcel Turnaround—2001 (Video Supplement)

This is the Video Supplement for Hexcel Turnaround - 2001(A), (B) and (C), HBS Cases 806099, 806100, 806101. View Details

January 1997 (Revised November 1997)
Case

IBM and Siemens: Revitalizing the Rolm Division (B)

By: Ashish Nanda, Antonio Davila and Georgia Levenson

This supplement to the (A) case describes Siemens’ purchase of Rolm’s entire product development and manufacturing operation to form Rolm Systems and discusses the simultaneous 50/50 joint venture between IBM and Siemens to manage marketing, sales, and service for PBX... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing; Deal; Dealmaking; IBM; Siemens; Product Development; Joint Ventures; Restructuring; Corporate Strategy

16 Feb 2004
Research & Ideas

European Private Equity—Still a Teenager?

The European market remains very attractive, with strong potential for growth—especially once French and German restructuring gets more underway, according to a panel of private equity group executives. That panel discussion was part of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

February 2012 (Revised July 2012)
Supplement

Caijing Magazine (B)

By: Karthik Ramanna and G.A. Donovan

In late 2009, Wang Boming, publisher of Caijing Magazine, widely regarded as China's most independent newsmagazine, gathered his core team for an urgent meeting. His pioneering editor Hu Shuli, described for her fiercely independent journalism as "the most dangerous... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Corporate Accountability; Restructuring; Corporate Disclosure; Organizations; Publishing Industry; China

January 2017
Supplement

T. Rowe Price and the Dell Inc. MBO (B)

By: Lena G. Goldberg

After deciding to oppose the Dell MBO, T. Rowe Price, together with other dissident Dell shareholders, sought appraisal of their shares in the Delaware courts. The appraisal process resulted in a significant increase in the price to be paid to dissenting shareholders... View Details

Keywords: Fiduciary Duties; Management Buy-out; Ethics; Valuation; Courts and Trials; Business and Shareholder Relations; Restructuring; Financial Services Industry; Computer Industry; Delaware

June 1991 (Revised May 1992)
Case

Cumberland Worldwide Corp. (B)

Cumberland has been in Chapter 11 for 18 months and is trying to formulate a plan of reorganization that will satisfy a variety of claimants. Teaching objective: valuation and negotiation issues. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Valuation; Restructuring; Insolvency and Bankruptcy

September 1988 (Revised November 1988)
Case

American Rice: A Farmers Cooperative Goes Public

By: Ray A. Goldberg

Keywords: Cooperative Ownership; Restructuring; Competitive Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry

September 1998 (Revised February 1999)
Case

Interactive Insurance Services: Redefining Insurance Distribution

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Marla Malcom-Nagler

Founded in July 1995, Interactive Insurance Services provided personal lines of insurance over the World Wide Web. In June 1996, the company was acquired by Intuit for $7.5 million. The case details the competitive and organizational issues faced by this rapidly... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Restructuring; Growth and Development; Distribution; Business Processes; Competitive Strategy; Web; Insurance Industry

August 1995
Background Note

Managing in an Information Age: IT Challenges and Opportunities

By: Lynda M. Applegate

The co-evolution of technology, work, and the workforce over the past 30 years has dramatically influenced our concept of organizations and the industries within which they compete. No longer simply a tool to support "back-office" transactions, IT has become a... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Information Management; Restructuring; Technological Innovation; Corporate Strategy; Organizational Design; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Information Technology Industry

April 2010
Teaching Note

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals: Spurring Scientific Creativity with Metrics

By: Robert S. Huckman

Teaching Note for [607008]. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Decisions; Innovation and Invention; Research and Development; Health Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry

June 1997
Supplement

MicroFridge: Robert Bennett, President and CEO, OPM Presentation

By: Norman A. Berg

Robert P. Bennett of MicroFridge discusses a number of topics including his philosophy, his company's market focus, the reorganization of the selling organization, reduction of overhead, the company's poor performance in the past year, its partnership with Sanyo, and... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Salesforce Management; Markets; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy; Performance

November 1987 (Revised June 1988)
Case

ServiceMaster Industries, Inc.

By: James L. Heskett

The CEO of ServiceMaster Industries has convened an internal task force to come up with ideas for reorganizing the company to accommodate unusually fast growth. In developing both alternatives and criteria for appraising them, the task force has to keep in mind the... View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Leading Change; Growth and Development Strategy; Organizational Culture

24 Jun 2002
Research & Ideas

Building ’Brandtopias’—How Top Brands Tap into Society

Customers value some of the most powerful brands in the world primarily for their "cultural value": They provide imaginative resources that people use to build their identities. These are what Harvard Business School professor... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

October 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Case

Kmart Corp.

Describes a situation in which a company (Kmart) refinances a portion of its debt. Used to illustrate how the asset and liability sides of the balance sheet are linked. View Details

Keywords: Restructuring; Accounting; Borrowing and Debt; Retail Industry